The "Fifth Third Bank Account Restricted" Phishing Scam
Subject: Account Restricted
Account Restricted
We noticed suspicious activities on your account. As a result of this ,
we are restricting your account(s) until we can verify your recent account activity.
Kindly follow the link below to verify your account.
If you don't verify within the next 2 business days, your account(s) may be closed and your balance - plus all interest earned may have been frozen.
Sincerely,
Fifth Third Bank Online Customer Service
Copyright © 2017 Fifth Third Bank, All Rights Reserved Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender Equal Housing Lender
Please do not reply to this automated email.
Once Fifth Third Bank's customers attempt to sign into the fake or phishing website that the link goes to, their banking credentials will be sent to the cybercriminal behind the scam, who will use the stolen information to gain access to their accounts, steal their money, and use the accounts fraudulently.
Therefore, it is important that Fifth Third Bank customers never click on links to sign into their accounts. They should instead, go directly to www.53.com and sign-in from there. This will prevent them from being tricked into visiting phishing websites that steal personal and financial information.
Fifth Third Bank customers who have been tricked by the phishing email, or those who think they have been tricked, should contact Fifth Third Bank for help.